<p>jc40 has great suggestion in #53. </p>
<p>We started college tours in 2005, so we heard a lot about “blue light” safety phones. Now cellphones are common, but it’s still nice to have the blue lights. Last year the city Boulder was going to remove them from University Hill area due to prank abuse, but I think they ended up keeping most of them.</p>
<p>“look, we have this key card that swipes you into all the buildings.” (demonstration)</p>
<p>@Pizzagirl At Vassar it’s called a V-card, and when we heard that during the tour, my very professional mother and I turned to each other and giggled. Can you imagine going to student services if you lose your card? “I lost my V card last night.” “Um, I think that’s something you should see the health offices about…”</p>
<p>I like your mother’s style. I think my daughter and I would not have been able to suppress giggles.</p>
<p>Oh - a memory we have from our Bryn Mawr tour. We were sitting in the very proper, very lovely visitors center waiting for our tour to begin. The whole setting was very refined Seven Sisters. All of a sudden my iPod turns out by itself and starts blaring at the loudest possible level “That’s Not My Name” by the Ting Tings (which I had worked out to earlier that morning). I could NOT get it to turn off or even turn the volume down and had to bury it underneath clothing to muffle the sound. Every time I hear that song, I think of how embarrassed we were!</p>
<p>@born2dance94 ^^ #63</p>
<p>You made my day.</p>
<p>I think “Admissions Bingo” deserves a thread of its own…who’s going to be the one? If it starts, I will contribute:</p>
<p>“My professors have even invited some of us over for dinner!!”</p>
<p>lololol this thread made me chuckle. thanks for the laughs guyz. hoping every1 gets to go to college that they like…</p>
<p>:)</p>
<p>A very large majority of students at my college wore apparel with our logo on it… and we didn’t even have a football team.</p>
<p>
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<p>Stradmom, one of the best CC ideas yet!</p>
<p>I have one to add…</p>
<p>"Which does the school prefer, a “B” in an Honors/AP class or an A in a regular class?</p>
<p>On a side note the best answer we heard was from the Swarthmore (I think) rep who just grinned and said "We prefer the “A” in the AP/Honors class. We all died laughing.</p>
<p>My tip: take the tour guide’s comments with a grain of salt, and ask a follow-up question. At one school, somebody asked whether the campus had wireless internet. “Everywhere but the bird sanctuary,” the guide said. Hmmm…how much of the campus is covered by the bird sanctuary?</p>
<p>And for the Bingo card:
“Alcohol [and/or drugs] is available if that’s what you want, but there is no pressure to drink if you don’t want to.”</p>
<p>We heard a funny one this weekend. The student guide was showing a dorm room and explaining how the housing selection process works for freshman. She started with a story about how she and her freshman roommate were so poorly matched that they didn’t speak the entire year. Before she explained the returning student lottery process she prefaced it with, “Should you choose to stay . . .” I wanted to ask if staying on for a second year was uncommon.</p>
<p>Maybe I’ve become too grouchy/impatient in my more mature years but I wouldn’t stand for some loudmouth dominating the tour. I refuse to get embarrassed about confronting someone b/c someone is going to feel uncomfortable. There was a rude post office attendant mistreating a customer and it was obvious to everyone in line. I said:" Hey! If you’re having a bad day, you should ask your boss to go home!" loud enough for everyone to hear. Needless to say, the dude was shocked – and cut his snarkiness. People around me were surprised but also supportive of my actions.</p>
<p>I’m too old to not cut the crap.</p>
<p>T26E4- I want to be like you when I grow up!</p>
<p>LOL: thanks vlines!</p>
<p>Another “stop being embarrassed to say something” story:</p>
<p>I was on the UMich campus one day and needed to write down some notes for a meeting I was going to. I went into one of the student union study rooms. It was mid afternoon and quite full with people studying/reading. I got a good table and started working. Nearby a student had nodded off and started snoring very loudly – think freight train. People obviously noticed, a few snickered. But no one did a thing. I got up from my seat, crossed the room and tapped the guy’s foot, gently saying to him: “Psst. You’ve nodded off and were snoring loudly” He awoke, slightly embarrassed and got back to work. People smiled at me. Later I finished my work and the freight train re-entered the room. I packed my bag, looked around and said to everyone in a loud voice: “I woke him the first time. I’m done. Now one of you do it” and walked out.</p>
<p>My son was very impressed with our tour guide at American who had turned down U of Chicago and some other higher rated schools to attend.</p>
<p>T26E4- I suffer with trying to determine when not to say something too…</p>
<p>I was standing in line at the check in desk in a hospital the other day. The front of the line was a group of 4 inner city African American group members- minding their own business, no problems. Likely to visit injured friend or relative. Right behind them, a large white man, shaved head, with tattoo’s on his head. He was somewhat agitated, and giving the 4 in front of him dirty looks and making comments under his breath. I was right behind him. </p>
<p>I kept trying to read the writing on the tatoo’s on his head. They were hard to make out, so I am sure I was “concentrating”, maybe even scrunching my eyes a little as I was looking at them. He said “What you staring at?”. I apologized, and told him I was just admiring his tatoo’s, trying to read the writing. He said “Not polite to stare”. </p>
<p>So hard not to say- “Then don’t shave your head and put writing on it”. But I didn’t. He was agitated enough. At least I deflected his attention from the others long enough for them to move on to their destination without the altercation that was brewing. I did notice that the armed guards moved closer to the front desk during this short period of time! </p>
<p>The fun times of living near a big city!</p>
<p>That story made me remember a young woman on a bus with bright purple hair. Anytime anyone looked over at her, she’d yell “What are you looking at?”</p>
<p>Dontcha wish you could have immediately replied: “The same head of hair that reminds all of us of eggplants!”</p>
<p>T26E4- I was just reading a thread about odd interview questions…weren’t you the one that asked a college interviewer “if you could be any punctuation mark, what would it be?” </p>
<p>Seems like you have always said what needs to be said ! LOL Good for you!</p>
<p>A Duke Tour Guide:</p>
<p>" And yeah you can apply to go on these free trips, which is great because some guy gave a lot of money to the school.". Yes, that guy would be Bill Gates for the Duke Engage Foundation.</p>
<p>As for the blue light on campus: “Yeah, if your running and someone is chasing you, push one of the buttons and someone is supposed to come. At least they say someone will come. I don’t know if someone will come. I hope someone will come.”</p>
<p>Very comforting for a parent. She didn’t seem to be kidding.</p>
<p>We also heard about her couple of work study projects in a lab. They were all “boring”.</p>
<p>My son wasn’t interested in applying.</p>